Searches were conducted at various places including residences of public servants and others at Trichy, Coimbatore, Madurai, Virudhnagar, Chennai and Rasipuram leading to recovery of huge cash and incriminating documents.

During the search operation at Trichy Airport, CBI recovered approximately Rs. 900,000 in cash collected as alleged illegal gratification.

CBI has registered a case against 6 Customs Officials including one Assistant Commissioner, two Superintendent of Customs, two Inspectors of Customs & an official posted at Trichy International Airport and 13 private persons including Sri Lankan Nationals. It was alleged that a large scale smuggling of contraband goods through the Trichy airport was going on with active connivance of the Customs officials who were obtaining undue advantage from the smugglers in the form of illegal gratification for allowing entry of goods from countries like Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia without payment of customs duty, thereby causing huge revenue loss to the Government of India.

It was further alleged that the private persons carrying goods (gold, liquor, cigarettes etc.) had arrived in the evening of 5 August 2018 by Sri Lankan Airlines and they were allowed by said custom officials to pass through the customs without payment of duty. It was also alleged that these passengers were regular carriers and in nexus with the custom officials had been smuggling goods at regular interval.